1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, information processing apparatus and method, and a computer program, and particularly to a communication system, information processing apparatus and method, and a computer program capable of easily and promptly starting wireless communications in which security is ensured without additional hardware.
2. Related Art
In recent years, electronics devices equipped with a wireless communication function typically in accordance with the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 communications standard and the Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) communications standard have been widely used.
Information which needs to be kept confidential, such as information relating with privacy etc., is also transmitted and received between apparatuses having the above-mentioned wireless communication function, so that there is a need for security countermeasures to prevent a third party from intercepting, falsifying such information and carrying out unauthorized network access.
For example, in the IEEE 802.11 communications standard, a user registers beforehand a secret key called a WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) key with a device for communicating, and performs encrypted communications by using the WEP key, to thereby secure safety of the communications. Further, a digital certificate is issued beforehand so as to authenticate a device of a communication counterpart by using the certificate at the time of starting communications, to thereby determine whether it is a right communication counterpart or not, and secure safety.
By the way, if registration of information on such a key and issue of the certificate are always performed beforehand in order to secure safety, it is not possible to promptly respond to switching of connection parties of wireless communications. It is not possible to promptly respond to temporary connections, such as for example, connecting two portable devices temporarily by radio so as to transmit a certain file, connecting a digital camera temporarily by radio with a printer installed in a store so as to print imaged photographs, connecting a video camera with a portable phone temporarily by radio so as to remotely control the video camera by using the portable phone, etc.
Then, in order to specify a connection party easily, and to promptly start wireless communications with a specified device, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No 2002-204239, for example, discloses that a portable phone having a built-in RF tag is brought into proximity with a personal computer having a built-in reader/writer, so that identification information data of both devices are transmitted and received between the RF tag and the reader/writer. Then, the Bluetooth communications are established between the portable phone and the personal computer, based on the transmitted and received identification information data.
Further, it has been proposed conventionally that a secret key is shared between two devices in short distance wireless communications by means of the RF tag and the reader/writer or in short distance wireless communications by means of infrared modules provided in both the devices. Therefore, for example, the Bluetooth communications established in such a way as to be disclosed in Patent Document 1 are encrypted by using the secret key which is transmitted and received in the short distance wireless communications, so that the user may only bring both the devices into proximity with each other so as to promptly start the Bluetooth communications in which the security is ensured.